Don't Turn Around
by xLifeFullOfLaughterx
Summary: One-Shot for competition winner 'EJacob24'. She'd seen that elbow drop. Everyone at the monitors had winced for him when the table didn't break. And her heart was in her mouth as she watched him roll back into the ring, clutching his knee in pain. She knew this was very bad news. She could see the concern flicker across his eyes before he pulled himself back to his feet.


**~ Don't Turn Around ~**

**Author's Note – When we reached over 1000 reviews on 'What Lies Beneath', I picked someone at random to receive a one-shot. This one is for 'EJacob24'. I hope you like it :)**

**Warnings - Strong language throughout and suggestions of sex.**

**Disclaimer - I own no-one but Elizabeth in this story. This is merely a work of fiction; it all came from my brain. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. **

**~ Don't Turn Around ~**

Elizabeth waited nervously at the gorilla. She'd seen that elbow drop. Everyone at the monitors had winced for him when the table didn't break. And her heart was in her mouth as she watched him roll back into the ring, clutching his knee in pain. She knew this was very bad news. She could see the concern flicker across his eyes before he pulled himself back to his feet and snapped out of it. He was always the consummate professional. That was what she loved most about him.

"He's coming up from the side of the stage" one of the stage hands told her as she followed the man down to the curtain.

Her face fell when she saw his head hung low, his arms slung over the shoulder of the two men helping him walk. He offered her a weary smile as he limped past and she followed as they made their way towards the trainers' room. His colleagues offered words of praise and congratulations on the incredible match they'd just been witness to as he passed and he thanked them, putting on a brave face.

Elizabeth followed them into the medics' room and the men helped him onto the table as he lay down. As soon as the door closed, she could really see the extent of the pain he was in when he covered his face with his arm. Elizabeth knew not to bombard him with questions, merely taking a seat beside him and rubbing his forearm comfortingly.

"Right Phil, let's take a look at that leg shall we?" the medic announced, unfastening his kick pads and kneepads. Phil winced at the slightest of pressure on his knee.

"Any pain in your right hip?" he asked, pressing gently on the area.

Phil shook his head. "No more than usual anyway" he grimaced.

"Just the knee?"

Phil nodded.

"Can you bend it at all?"

The doctor brought up his leg and slowly bent it until Phil cried out in pain.

Taking a look at the swelling and having a feel around the joint, he pulled off his gloves and leaned on the table.

"I'm sorry Phil, I know this isn't what you want to hear but we need to get some x-rays done and send you off to the hospital for an MRI. It's not looking good"

Phil took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Elizabeth linked her hand with his and he squeezed it. She stood and stroked her free hand across his head. Helping him into a sitting position, their eyes flicked over to the door as Mark Callaway entered.

"How are you feeling man?" Phil asked him as the big man hopped onto the other table.

"Okay considering" he chuckled in his deep voice. "More importantly, what about you?" he asked, gesturing to Phil's swollen leg.

"Oh I'll be fine, you know me" Phil played it down the way he always did. That was one of the things about him that got on Elizabeth's nerves. He was so stubborn, and he would never admit that he was hurt. It probably stemmed from the pressures of a business where if you couldn't do your job, someone else would take your spot.

Kofi, Sheamus and Vince among others popped by to praise the match, Vince concerned with the extent of the injury.

"You go get that checked out now and let me know what's going on alright? I'll see you tomorrow night" Vince boomed.

"Yessir" Phil sighed.

"You take care of him. Don't let him exert himself. I know how he gets" the medic smiled at Elizabeth.

"Will do" she nodded, speaking for the first time since meeting him from his match.

* * *

The car ride was quiet as she drove them to the nearest hospital and Phil eventually broke the silence.

"Thanks for this"

"You don't have to thank me Phil. It's not a chore, I'm worried about you" she sighed. "I just want you to be okay"

"I will be..."

"Be honest. How much pain are you in?" she asked him.

"More than I was with this one" he pointed to his left knee.

"You think it's another surgery job?" she asked gently.

"I hope not. If it is I don't know what I'm gonna do"

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"I don't want any more surgery Lizzie, I've said it before and I meant it. I can't handle another run of being sliced open, recovering, rehab and all that shit. With no pain meds it's just fucking torture"

"What does that mean for your career then?" she asked, knowing she wasn't going to like the answer.

"Forced retirement I guess"

"Oh Phil" she sighed sympathetically, squeezing his good knee. "Was it when you caught it on the edge of the table?"

"Yeah" he nodded, running a stressed hand over his shaven head. "If the table had collapsed, I think I'd have been alright but because it didn't, all the force of my weight on it just bounced straight back at me. I knew as soon as I landed I was fucked"

"You did good to finish the match as well as you did" she praised.

"You know me. I finished a match with a cracked skull. It takes a lot to stop me" he chuckled.

"I hope Vince sees what a trooper he's got with you. You work your ass off for that company. It's your determination to be at every show and appearance that sells out those shows and makes him his money"

"That and my blinding good looks" he winked.

"Of course" she smiled.

* * *

Elizabeth parked the car outside the emergency department and walked around to the passenger side where Phil was already trying to get himself out of the car.

"Stop being such a stubborn ass and let me help you" she scolded, putting her arm around his waist so he could rest some of his weight against her.

He hissed as he put some weight on his right leg and she stopped.

"Do you want me to get a wheelchair?"

"Fuck no" he rolled his eyes. Elizabeth sighed. Him and his fucking pride.

Eventually they got him checked in. Luckily the trainer had called ahead and they could skip the line. As she watched him limp into the consultants room and sat outside to wait, Elizabeth began to reflect on their somewhat dysfunctional relationship.

She'd met Phil a few years ago through a mutual friend. She'd been taking a short break from her office job, visiting with her long-time friend, the UFC's Ronda Rousey, when Phil had met them for drinks. She'd originally assumed he and Ronda were dating, or at least that something was going on by the way they joked and flirted. There was something about him, the way his eyes shone with mischief and the way he had the appeal of a bad boy while acting like a gentleman. He was intelligent, good looking and incredibly funny. Sure he was a pain in the ass sometimes, and he had a sharp tongue when he was in one of his moods, but his personality was infectious.

She wished she could see him more often. He was on the road more than 300 days a year and she had just worked her way to the top of her high-flying corporate job. The two of them were pretty similar in personality. Elizabeth was strong, excelling in a business where men dominated. She readily voiced her opinions and wasn't afraid to point out when he was wrong. She was a pretty girl, her piercing green eyes lighting up as she laughed. Her long blonde hair hung in soft waves that framed her face. The thing he liked most about her though was the fact that even though she knew who he was, she didn't bother him with questions about his job. She asked about his hobbies and interests and got to know the man behind the larger-than-life TV persona. She knew he had enough trouble switching off when he wasn't working; he needed company that didn't let his job consume him.

Phil emerged from the office and sat down beside her.

"What did they say?"

"They need to check the results and then the consultant will see me" he shrugged. "I think I'm gonna be off for a while…means I get to spend more time at home I guess" he offered her a small smile.

"You thought that with your hip and then Vince had you on commentary so I wouldn't be getting your hopes up" she sighed.

"Thanks for coming with me Lizzie" he said in a rare moment of emotion.

"No problem, you know I'll always help you out if I can"

He looked down at his lap, ignoring the slight tugging feeling in his chest.

"Phil Brooks?" the consultant announced. Phil stood gingerly and limped into the room.

Elizabeth ran her hands over her face. When he'd texted to say he had a ticket for her to come see Wrestlemania, she wasn't expecting this to be the outcome. She'd debated whether or not to go at all. After what happened, there was always an elephant in the room with them, an invisible wall.

She must have fallen asleep, because she awoke to a child screaming. Her eyelids fluttered open and she saw Phil surrounded by people trying to get autographs and pictures. He looked like he was about to cry.

"Excuse me" she politely pushed through and he looked relieved to see her. "Guys, now isn't a very good time okay? Would you mind giving us some space?"

The fans grumbled about how he 'wasn't so nice in person' and how 'these celebrities don't realise they wouldn't have a job if it wasn't for the fans'.

"What did he say?" she asked him, helping him over to a seat.

"The MRIs don't look good. They want me to go home for a few days and wait for the swelling to go down. Then they can re-assess" he said quietly. "Lizzie I was thinking about last year and…"

"Phil stop. Please don't bring it up…" she pleaded.

He took a deep breath and nodded. The doctor emerged once more to give him some notes to pass to his own doctor in Chicago and sent them on their way.

"Phil you're hurting me now, let me get you a wheelchair" she huffed, his weight on her becoming too much.

"No. I'll walk on my own" he snapped stubbornly, pushing her away as he limped down the long hallway. She could see the pain on his face as he walked. He was so hard-headed. She followed him out the car and he bit down hard on his cheek to distract himself from the pain as he lowered himself into the passenger seat. He closed his eyes and rested his head back against the headrest.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she drove him back to the hotel to collect his things.

"What do you think?" he asked, gritting his teeth.

"I'm only trying to help" she sighed.

"What would help would be for you to shut up if you won't even talk to me about what happened" he said, his acid tongue at work again.

"You're such a fucking asshole sometimes…I come all the way here to see you Phil…even though I knew it would drag up all this shit from the past, and then I drive you to the fucking hospital, practically hold your hand through it and you're a bastard to me? I know you're in pain and I know you're upset about everything right now but don't take it out on me!" she retorted, trying not to raise her voice. "I don't want to talk about what happened Phil. I don't. We did. You made it clear how you feel"

"You clearly haven't moved on from it though" he mumbled angrily.

She hit the brakes hard. "Are you fucking serious right now?" she yelled. "You lead me on for months…make me think you might want something more than friendship and then _she _comes along and you drop me like THAT"she snapped her fingers.

"Calm down" he said, eyes wide.

"No I will not calm down! You have no idea how you make me feel! I _still_ care about you Phil! And you don't understand how fucking hard it was to fly out here knowing the only real reason you invited me was because she can't come!" her chest heaved now, emotion threatening to spill over.

"Lizzie you know that's bullshit" he tried to argue.

"No Phil. No it's not. You're an adult. You should know better than to play with girls' feelings. I'm sure you love her…and that's great, but you need to just leave me to get on with my own life now. It's not fair to drag me back into this whenever she isn't around or you want some company. I won't ever 'move on' if you keep using me" she swallowed hard.

"I never used you!" he argued.

"You might not have meant it, but that's what it was Phil. You chose her. That's fine. Just get out of the car and don't turn around. Just keep walking" she said as she pulled in to the hotel.

"What?" he asked, wide eyed.

"You heard me. I'm sorry but I can't keep running every time you click your fingers. I have more self respect than that. And don't you dare call me if you two break up. I care about you Phil, I really do. But I've never let anyone dictate my life and I won't start with you. Goodbye Philip"

He had tears in his eyes as he opened the door. He startled when he felt a pair of hands covering his eyes.

"Guess who?" she whispered.

He choked up at the sound of her voice and the pained look on Elizabeth's face as she watched the woman who had what she had always wanted.

"What's wrong baby?" she asked, feeling his tears on her palms. "Is it your knee?"

He didn't reply and she wrapped her arms around him.

"Thanks for taking him to the hospital, I'll take it from here" she smiled at Elizabeth.

"No problem. I have a flight to catch…"

"Okay, bye Lizzie" the red-head waved.

"Bye Amy"

She sped off as quickly as she could, barely able to see through the tears spilling over her eyelids. He never had belonged to her. She had to let go…

_Elizabeth groaned in pleasure as she felt his hands massaging her shoulders. She opened one eye and smiled sleepily._

"_Good morning" he said, voice husky with sleep._

"_Don't stop" she begged, feeling his thumbs working magic as he pressed them into her spine. _

_Just the thought of last night made a grin work its way onto her features. He'd taken her to a Cubs game and to his favourite pizza place before taking her back to his apartment. They'd fallen into bed and before she knew it, their clothes were scattered about his floor along with an empty condom wrapper and a bottle of massage oil. She still got a warm feeling whenever she thought about it. His thumbs stilled when they heard the door bell ring._

"_I'd ignore it but it might be important…" he pulled a face, pulling on his boxers and a t-shirt._

"_It's fine…just hurry back" she smiled, wrapping the duvet around herself._

_She smiled, watching him try to tame his hair as he left the bedroom. For once in her life, she'd found a guy who treated her like a princess…_

"_Amy! What are you doing here?" she heard from the door. _

_Elizabeth jumped when the door opened and he popped his head around. "Err…Amy…Lita…she came to visit, so you might wanna get dressed…" he scratched the back of his neck. _

_She knew right then, from the look on his face that he didn't want Amy to know he'd slept with Lizzie. And that fact alone told her just how huge the mistake she'd just made was. _

She tried to force away those memories. She cursed herself for letting it get to her like this. After all, he hadn't set out to break her heart. How was he to know that his ex was about to just wander back into his life? She tried to stop the tears as they blurred her vision but she couldn't stem the flow, the rain pounding on the windscreen matching the storm in her heart.

She didn't see it coming…

She didn't see the cars slowing in front of her…

She slammed on the breaks, but it was too late…

The tyres couldn't grip the asphalt as she aqua-planed into the oncoming traffic…

She briefly caught sight of the truck as it veered into the drivers' side and then it was nothing…nothing but blackness…

At least now…now there was no more pain in her heart…

* * *

**Leave me a review and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading :)**


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